the builders who construct the house for free & then wipe away the mortgage

the millionaire who simply writes the check & the need is met

i often think to myselfif i were "so & so" and had their bank accounti would givei would give alot

but would i really?

other times the gift is given out of sacrificei might just love these more

the family who drives older carsdoesn't have the fanciest iphoneisn't wearing hip fashion& yetponies up the money~with joy,might i addto finance a teenagers mission tripto touch the unloved, the dirty, the forgottento be the hands & feet of Jesus

i want to be a giveri want to give whether its out of an abundancebecause lets face iti might not be as rich as my "so & so" aforementioned friendsbut just living in this countryputs my wallet on the abundance side of the scale&

i want to be a giver

even if the gift is a sacrifice

the last several months i've felt the Lord tugging on my heart

i feel he's planted the desire to do something

for someone

someone in need

someone that i can touch

that i can see

i want to raise altruistic childrenso the obvious thing to dois walk it out for themshow them that their mama wants to be someone who gives

who wants to do more

who wants to make a difference in this city

i want to work or volunteer in a specific "need"with summer rapidly approachingi'd love for it to be somewhere that my girls & i can minister along side each other

i've got an idea of where i'd love for that tobe

& with whom

so stay tuned....{hopefully i can have a story to share soon}

this weekend i'm headed out on a road tripto meet up with 11 women i've never met beforethe event is a ginormous generous gift from a fellow blogger& i am just beside myself tickled& can't wait to share all about it

one more thing to share...a few posts ago i shared about some medical issues caroline has been dealing with

caroline received a huge packageloadedi mean loadedwith gifts from a family we've never meta fellow blogger with five childrenjust loving on a little girl who had been sick on her birthday

i handed her this ( heavy ) package & told her it was for hershe said ever so sweetly...."they sent all this just for me?"the hands of Jesustangible love for a strangera cute one , but a stranger no less

this mama , i'm certain doesn't want me to spotlight herbut after i emailed her & gushed with gratitudeshe told me there was more

a few days later caroline received this...

a precious necklace made by lisa leonardwho incidentally has the most generous spirit herself

30 comments:

i hope you start a trend... a lovely and blessed trend. and i hope it begins with me... to be a better person, i love that. to be more generous with others. i feel the spirit already trickling down. a deep sigh for beauty. i love this and will open my palms to this and more. bless~xo

I love this post, Paige. I too, often think about all the ways I want to give. I even get the ideas for care packages or random notes in the mail...and then don't follow through. You've challenged me to stop thinking/talking about some of these things and actually doing them!

Great friends are the true and most valuable treasures on this earth. I don't know what we will remember after this earthly life, but I sure hope we are allowed to keep our friendships and the bonds we build on earth.Love ya and thanks........

What a beautiful post. I have been blessed with paying off both of our cars recently, and can now afford to be more generous to my favorite charity (St. Jude's) and feel so happy about it.

I bought that same bumblebee necklace from Lisa the day she introduced it and am holding on to it for a few more months until my daughter's birthday. It's a hard secret to keep but a necklace that special deserves to be given on a special day :)

Wow Paige. I haven't been able to visit as much as I used to, but what a day to come back! Beautiful heart. Beautiful goal. Beautiful examples. I can't wait to hear about the recent blessings you've been gifted with and how God uses them in your life. Sounds like a great trip. And what a precious friend to gift your Caroline as she did... I pray that God blesses her richly in return for her thoughtfulness! And I love the necklaces...so I really think you should post!!...or email the link to me! :)

This is wonderful and I look forward to seeing what avenue God chooses to use you and your daughters in this summer... it's clear you are ready to answer His call!

This is exactly the kind of woman I aspire to be, as well. God has been doing a LOT of things to change me over the course of our adoption journey...and He ain't finished with me yet!! ;) I know I will never be the same. And I am seeing some of these changes in our children as well...but you're so right, it begins with us. I read another post this evening where the husband reminded his wife that "we are parenting our grandchildren" ...wow! That really struck me deep. It's so true. We are not just parenting our own children, but we are laying the foundation of love and how they will in turn, likely parent their own children one day... our grandchildren. What kind of a legacy will I pass down?! I hope in the end it is one that glorifies God! <><

caroline had to just be so happy. how fun for her and you too. very sweet. beautiful post paige. your posts always get me thinking and i love that. you make me want to be a better person. you make me want to jump on a plane and meet you in person. i want to soak up your spirit. you are a gift to so many of us.

Nice texture on that first photo!! :) As always, such a beautiful post Paige! You are such a special, loving, generous spirit and it is an honor to read your blog and call you friend! Happy week to you my ray of sunshine!!!

ahh what an honest post...I often think of this, but being that I am not "so & So" my giving is of the heart, I suppose being there for friends, giving up little things when I can, encouraging others when life gets them down, etc...I know when the time is right I will be able to give more, financially speaking but for now this is all I can do, and I think you relate!! I hope what you have in mind comes to fruition and you are able to be a role model for your children, goodness is seen it is passed on and I hope my punk sees that as well! Hope your girl is feeling better! xo

That is just wonderful. I love how God uses others to bless us and inspire us to greater things, all at the same time. What wonderful surprises for Caroline. {I want to be more like those people who blessed your sweet girl with kindness.}

Paige, I just wanted you to know that I was so excited to open up the Artful Blog magazine spring issue and find your interview inside. It was written with such beautiful and heartfelt words and your photography, especially of the family, was gorgeous! I was by myself inside of Barnes and Noble when I happened upon seeing your article and I sighed kind of loudly. I think the people sitting at the table beside me thought I was wacky and talking to myself. I so wanted to share what I'd found with someone at that moment and say "hey I know this famous person!" (I feel like I know you even though it's just through blogging) Anyway, it was such a nice surprise to see you featured inside.

I am once again blessed by your post. Your photography is wonderful as is your spirit. I hope your women's event blesses you as much and more than I have been blessed in the past. People have so much to give each other when they just take the time to do it.